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NatureLove In The Animal Kingdom at 7 pm
Animals dance, sing, flirt and compete with everything they’ve got to find and secure a mate. For many, the all-important bonds they share as a couple are what enable the next generation to survive. But can we call these bonds love? In this look at the love life of animals, we see the feminine wiles of a young gorilla, the search for Mr. Right among a thousand flamingos, the open “marriages” of blue-footed boobies, the soap opera arrangements of gibbons, and all the subtle, outrageous, romantic antics that go into finding a partner. These are love stories all right, as various and intriguing as the lovers themselves.

NOVAThe Incredible Journey Of The Butterflies at 8 pm
Every year, 100 million monarch butterflies set off on an incredible journey across North America. These beautiful creatures fly 2,000 miles to reach their remote destination: a tiny area high in the mountains of Mexico. Yet scientists are still puzzling over how the butterflies achieve this tremendous feat of endurance – and how, year after year, the monarchs navigate with such hair’s-breadth precision. NOVA flies along with the monarchs, visiting the spectacular locations they call home and meeting the dangers they encounter along the way. As this program reveals, the monarch is a scientific marvel locked in an inspiring struggle for survival.

Nazi Mega WeaponsSuper Tanks at 9 pm
In the quest for world domination, the Nazis built some of the biggest and deadliest pieces of military hardware and malevolent technology in history. With brilliant, dark minds and a legion of slave labor at their disposal, the Nazis believed the path to ultimate victory was to out-build and out-engineer their enemies. To them, bigger definitely meant better, and better meant more lethal. As Hitler’s grip on Europe tightened, he ordered men like Wernher von Braun, Ferdinand Porsche and Alfried Krupp to build increasingly outlandish machines and structures to realize his master plan. Creating huge terror machines, hi-tech superguns and some of the original weapons of mass destruction to control a nation, conquer a continent and win the war. This is World War II told from a new perspective. The series uncovers the engineering secrets of six iconic mega-structures, tells the stories of the evil geniuses that designed them and reveals how these structures sparked a technological revolution that changed warfare forever.

This week during PBS NewsHour Weekend we preview part of Civic Summit: East Austin Revealed. On Saturday, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell and former State Representative Wilhelmina Delco discuss why many African Americans are leaving East Austin, an area where they were once required to live by law. Today, many African Americans are moving to Austin’s suburbs.

Delco, who has lived in East Austin for more than 50 years, says the city can do more to highlight the region’s rich history.

“We as a city ought to be more conscious of the preservation and the need for saving what was good and important to our people,” Delco said. “We don’t have nearly enough historical markers to mark all of the things that made black East Austin a unique community that thrived in spite of all the obstacles that were put in our way.”

On Sunday, our story delves into rising property values and tax rates in East Austin. Again, we’ll hear from Delco, Mayor Leffingwell and current State Representative Dawnna Dukes.

The entire Civic Summit: East Austin Revealed airs Thursday, April 24 at 8:30pm, immediately following a documentary about East Austin’s Civil Rights history.

Please join KLRU’s Overheard with Evan Smith for an interview with Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley of Yo La Tengo.

DATE: April 16TIME: 7pm (Doors open at 6:30pm.)LOCATION: KLRU’s Studio 6A (map). RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now

Husband/wife duo Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley formed the band Yo La Tengo in 1984 in Hoboken, New Jersey. James McNew joined the band in 1992. Yo La Tengo has been called “the quintessential critics band,” known for creativity, independence and an eclectic approach to indie rock. Rolling Stone calls them “one of the most restless and most consistently good bands of the past 25 years.” The group has recorded 13 albums. Their most recent is Fade, released in 2013. They are in town for “The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller.” Yo La Tengo will provide live music accompaniment to Sam Green’s latest “live documentary” on April 17 at the Stateside at the Paramount.

We hope you’ll be there as Overheard with Evan Smith continues a fourth season of great conversation with fascinating people, always on the news and always with a sense of humor. The show features in-depth interviews with a mix of guests from politics, the arts, literature, journalism, business, sports and more, and reaches PBS viewers from California to Florida. We’d love to see you in the studio for the interview, and for a chance to join the audience Q&A after the interview.

This weekend during PBS NewsHour Weekend our local news stories look back in history, and look forward at what some call the “currency of the future.”

On Saturday it’s one of Austin’s newest gadgets: a Bitcoin ATM. The machine, designed by a company called Robocoin, was the first of its kind in the U.S. It’s located at HandleBar downtown.

The machine allows people to walk up and either enroll in Bitcoin on the spot or buy and sell from a pre-existing account. You can also withdraw cash.

“The one in Canada, it’s brought a lot of business. Ideally we get some foot traffic, get some booze sold and merchandise and stuff like that,” HandleBar Co-Owner Willie Stark told us.

But, Bitcoin has had some setbacks recently. We asked LBJ School economics professor Dr. Yanis Varoufakis about the risks involved.

“There is no telephone number you can dial if suddenly your Bitcoins have disappeared. All you need is a clever hacker who hacks into your wallet and suddenly your fortune in bitcoins has disappeared,” Varoufakis said.

On Sunday, we preview the LBJ Presidential Library’s Civil Rights Summit, which runs from April 8-10. Three of the four former living presidents will be on the University of Texas campus for the event, as will President Obama. The summit marks the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act.

“We thought what better way to [mark the anniversary] than with a summit that really celebrates the advances that were made in ’64 but also looks hard at some of the open issues in 2014,” LBJ Foundation President Elizabeth Christian told us.

Panel discussions will be held each afternoon with activists and civil rights leaders before the evening keynotes with Presidents Carter, Clinton and George W. Bush. President Obama will speak Thursday morning at 11:30.

Normally, KLRU chooses three programs each month for your family to enjoy together. In December 2013, we will have incredible family viewing opportunities for the holidays — be sure to check in for holiday programming without the holiday commercials!

The best of Austin musicians perform in celebration of the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians. The show features Christopher Cross, Jimmie Vaughan and Lou Ann Barton, Eric Johnson, Charlie and Will Sexton, Marcia Ball, Van Wilks and Malford Milligan, Carolyn Wonderland and Guy Forsyth, Monte Montgomery, Shake Russell, Quiet Company, Suzanna Choffel and the All ATX band.

This concert was held on HAAM Benefit Day on September 24, 2013 at ACL Live. KLRU taped the live concert to be made available to other PBS stations nationally. The show will be available online on 11/29.

Additional air dates in Austin include:

KLRU
11/28 at 8 pm
11/30 at 2 am
12/17 at 10 pm
12/25 at 10 pm

KLRU Q
1/1/14 at 8 pm
1/6/14 at 11 pm

ALL ATX is an annual concert that celebrates and supports Austin music presented by HAAM. HAAM provides access to affordable health care to Austin’s low-income, uninsured working musicians with a focus on prevention and wellness.

We’re kicking off our December pledge drive this Friday and need to raise $220,000 in the next two weeks to keep public television strong in Central Texas. Make a gift today and see a show (or two) when you do!

The African Americans: Many Rivers To CrossTuesdays, November 5, 12, 19 & 26 at 7pm(series repeats Sundays at 2:30pm)
This series chronicles the full sweep of African American history, from the origins of slavery on the African continent through five centuries of historic events right up to present day — when America has a black President, yet remains a nation deeply divided by race. It explores the origins of the people from Africa whose enslavement led to the creation of the African American people, as well as the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives that African Americans have developed against unimaginable odds. All of these elements define black culture and society in its extraordinarily rich and compelling diversity from slavery to freedom, from the plantation to the White House. Hosted by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and drawing on some of America’s top historians and heretofore untapped primary sources, the series guides viewers on a journey across 500 years and two continents to shed new light on the experience of being an African American.

NATURE’S “Parrot Confidential”Wednesday, November 13 at 7pm
Meet Lou. Abandoned in a foreclosed home, Lou is one of thousands of parrots in need of rescue. From the wilds of Costa Rica to suburban America, a loveable, quirky cast of parrots reveal their unforgettable tales and the bittersweet world they share with humans. Their outrageous intelligence and uncanny ability to communicate in any language has made parrots one of the world’s most popular pets. But unlike dogs and cats, parrots have not been domesticated. Hard wired for the wild, their ear-shattering squawks and unpredictable behavior are designed for the rain forest, not the suburbs. Add a lifespan of 50 plus years to their intense need to bond and a life in captivity often ends in disaster. With shelters and sanctuaries bursting at the seams, too many birds like Lou have no place to go.

NATURE’s Thanksgiving Eve broadcast
Wednesday, November 27, from 7-10pm“My Life as a Turkey”at 7pm
Based on the true story of writer and naturalist Joe Hutto, portrayed by wildlife photographer Jeff Palmer, this film chronicles Hutto’s remarkable experience of imprinting wild turkey eggs and raising the hatchlings to adulthood. Deep in the wilds of Florida, Hutto spent each day out and about as a “wild turkey” with his family of chicks — until the day came when he had to let his children grow up and go off on their own. As it turned out, this was harder than he ever imagined. Hutto’s story also became a book, “Illumination in the Flatlands.”“An Original DUCKumentary” at 8pm
Ducks fly through the air on short stubby wings — traveling in large, energy-efficient formations over thousands of miles. There are some 150 species of them, representing a wide variety of shapes, sizes and behaviors. Some are noisy and gregarious, others shy and elusive. They are familiar animals we think we know. But most of us don’t really know these phenomenal, sophisticated creatures at all. This program follows a wood duck family as a male and female create a bond, migrate together across thousands of miles, nurture and protect a brood of chicks, then come full circle as they head to their wintering grounds. “The Private Life of Deer” at 9pmFrom coast to coast, some 30 million white-tailed deer make their home in the United States. Deer are the most highly studied mammals in the world, but does the typical homeowner with deer in the yard know how long deer can live? When they sleep? How many babies a doe can have each year? Enter the hidden world of white-tailed deer outfitted with night-vision cameras and GPS tracking equipment to see them not as common backyard creatures, but as intelligent, affectionate family members.

KLRU Educational Services will be on hand for two events connected to the Texas Book Festival. The first, a joint presentation by the Texas Book Festival, KLRU, and the AISD Department of Communications and Community Engagement is a book reading and signing by the bilingual children’s author Yuyi Morales, who was profiled by PBS and regularly has a spot airing during the PBS Kids block (which you can see here). The book signing will take place at Mathews Elementary, 906 West Lynn, on Friday, October 25, from 4-5 pm.

The second event will be our three-hour appearance at the Texas Book Festival itself, on Sunday, October 27, from 12 noon – 3 pm. We will be at the Children’s Activity Tent (on Colorado St. between 12th & 13th) with our iPads loaded with learning apps and with none other than Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Earthflight, A Nature Special Presentation
Wednesdays at 7 pm, starting September 4
This series is a breathtaking voyage with the world’s birds, soaring across six continents, witnessing spectacular animal migrations and great natural wonders, swooping down to interact with life-and-death dramas on land and at sea. It employs state-of-the-art technology and sophisticated camera techniques to show the world from the amazing aerial perspective of a bird’s-eye view. This six-part series concludes on October 9th.

Latino Americans(3-part, six-hour series)Tuesdays from 7:00-9:00 pm
starting September 17 – October 1(Series repeats on Sundays at 1:30 pm)Latino Americans is an epic history series narrated by Benjamin Bratt that chronicles the lives and experiences of Latinos in the United States from 1500 to the 21st century. Through its people, politics and culture, Latino Americans tells the story of early settlement, conquest and immigration; of tradition and reinvention; of anguish and celebration; and of the gradual construction of a new American identity from diverse sources that connects and empowers millions of people today. The series utilizes the accounts of historical figures and events as well as present-day interviews with nearly 100 Latinos—from best-selling authors, entrepreneurs and pop cultural celebrities to political leaders and everyday people, as well as historians and other experts.

NOVA #3913 “Secrets of the Viking Sword”
Wednesday, September 25 at 8 pm (encore presentation)The Vikings were among the fiercest warriors of all time. Yet only a select few carried the ultimate weapon of their era: the feared Ulfberht sword. Fashioned using a process that would remain unknown to the Vikings’ rivals for centuries, the Ulfberht was a revolutionary high-tech tool as well as a work of art. Considered one of the greatest swords ever made, it remains a fearsome weapon more than a millennium after it last saw battle. But how did Viking sword makers design and build the Ulfberht, and what was its role in history? Now, NOVA uses cutting-edge science and old-fashioned detective work to reconstruct the Ulfberht and finally unravel the mystery of the Viking sword.